The present invention relates to a quick connect and disconnect coupling particularly well adapted as a coupling for pieces of jewelry and the like.
Many couplings have been devised in the past for connecting together the free ends of a piece of jewelry such as a bracelet, a neck chain, a waist chain, a necklace and the like. Such couplings are generally in the form of spring clasps, split rings, split rings with spring-biased pins, and the like. Such couplings must, of necessity in order to avoid detracting from the aesthetic appearance of the piece of jewelry, be made in a relatively small size, and be as inconspicuous as feasible. On the other hand the couplings must be sturdy and they must not be subject to accidental disconnect, while still providing great ease of connect and disconnect. The couplings must be able to withstand repeated use, and sometimes abuse, without failure and they must structurally be as strong as the chain, bracelet or other piece of jewelry of which they form a part.
The various requirements that jewelry couplings must meet are therefore somewhat contradictory. A jewelry couplings must be of small size, which makes it difficult to manufacture with a reasonable degree of sturdiness, and it must be made with sufficient precision such that its operation is practically foolproof. It is therefore advantageous to make the coupling as simple as possible, with as few parts as convenient in order to reduce the manufacturing costs and the risks of malfunction.
The present invention provides a simple coupling, which can be made as small as desired, which is relatively easy to manufacture, which comprises only two moving parts, the male member and the female member of the coupling, which locks simply by pushing the male portion into the female portion, which unlocks simply by rotating the two members relative to each other, and which can be manufactured at relatively low cost.